Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists – Research and Investigation | A Multi-Regional Project

Twelve investigative journalists from the Western Hemisphere participated in a three-week long virtual IVLP. The project examined the rights and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy as well as facilitate an understanding of the evolution, current status, and trends in journalistic investigations and research in the United States. The participants also explored the unique aspects that distinguish investigative reporting from traditional journalism and the role investigative journalism plays in U.S. society in raising awareness of issues of social concern and reporting irregular or abusive actions. Participants started their virtual visit in Washington D.C. and then attended meetings in Tampa, Florida St. Louis, and Columbia, Missouri; and Phoenix, Arizona.

A highlight from their sessions in Washington, D.C. included the opportunity to meet with the Committee to Protect Journalists to discuss ways they work to protect international journalism worldwide. Outside Washington D.C., participants met with several investigative reporters from print media, television, and radio who shared their careers and experiences. In addition to professional sessions, they completed two workshops with the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Other highlighted sessions include to hear from a reporter from the St. Louis Public Radio city officials to discuss the coverage of the 2014 Ferguson protests, the Black Lives Matter Movement as well as racial issues overall in the city. In Phoenix, they met with Univision Arizona to discuss media coverage and issues in the Latinx community in Arizona as well as local government officials to learn about the relationship between government and the press.

Through workshops and sessions, the participants gained an appreciation for the scope of work being conducted in the United States and gained some new approaches to their work.

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